tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25821124577850769222024-03-13T04:19:14.853-04:00From the House and SanctuaryThe Personal Blog of the Minister of Norval Presbyterian ChurchRev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-91488907605967721982015-03-09T23:47:00.001-04:002015-03-09T23:49:37.947-04:00Radical Words of the Church Fathers: Who owns what?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Taken
from the March 9 reading from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://commonprayer.net/" target="_blank">Common Prayer: A Liturgy forOrdinary Radicals</a><sup>1</sup></i></span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Psalm
49:4-8 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why
should I be afraid in evil days: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">when
the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">the
wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">and
boast of their great riches? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We
can never ransom ourselves: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">or
deliver to God the price of our life; </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">for
the ransom of our life is so great:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">that
we should never have enough to pay it, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">in
order to live for ever and ever: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">and
never see the grave. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Prayer:
Forgive our greed, Lord: and free us for life together.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Basil
of Caesarea, a fourth-century bishop and monk, asked, “Are you not a robber,
you who consider your own that which has been given you solely to distribute to
others? This bread which you have set aside is the bread of the hungry; this
garment you have locked away is the clothing of the naked; those shoes which
you let rot are</span><span lang="EN-CA"> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">the shoes of him who is barefoot;
those riches you have hoarded are the riches of the poor.”</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I'm always struck by the radical discipleship of the early Church Fathers (and Mothers). So often they come across as empty names rolled out in a Christian history class and dryly mentioned in association with a particular development in Christian theology or practice. Yet most of them were devoted followers of Jesus who seriously tried to honour his life and teaching.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<img alt="Basil of Caesarea.jpg" data-file-height="478" data-file-width="350" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Basil_of_Caesarea.jpg/330px-Basil_of_Caesarea.jpg" height="200" width="146" /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Take <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_of_Caesarea" target="_blank">Basil</a> here. The major talking points for his life are that he was one of the great defenders of the doctrine of the Trinity (along with his brother Gregory of Nyssa) and is one key founders of the Eastern Orthodox monastic tradition (along with his sister Macrina the Younger). All of that sounds very formal and typically religious, but then you read some of the things he wrote like the passage quoted above in Common Worship. Just try preaching that in a pulpit anywhere in Canada or the U.S. today, I dare you!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In an era when the Christian Church was rapidly developing into a broad mainstream religion, and becoming an institution wrapped up in politics and prosperity, Fathers like Basil (and other contemporaries like John Chrysostom) worked hard to keep the Church faithful to Jesus. And in doing this they left behind some hard words, that are made all the more challenging because they sound so much like Jesus or one of the Old Testament prophets.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1700 years later the church in the West is well on its way in moving in the opposite direction, from the centre of culture, power and politics to the margins. When we lived at the comfortable centre words like this were a bit too harsh for most (heck people were more likely to tolerate being told they were going to hell, than to be told what to do with their stuff). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But now, we have little to lose, so words like these can help us get back to the radical heart of the Gospel of Jesus. And at the very least they should make us think very hard about all that food sitting around in the pantry (or even more so the food we throw out), the clothes filling our walk-in closets, and the shoes cluttering up our front hallways. Or how about our half or three-quarter empty church buildings and endowment funds. Who really owns all that stuff anyways?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">1.
Claiborne, Shane; Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan; Okoro, Enuma (2010-11-23). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary
Radicals</i> (pp. 177-178). Zondervan 2010.</span></div>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-76896788377023796362015-03-02T16:23:00.000-05:002015-03-02T16:23:14.552-05:00Loving Our Enemies, Forgiveness & Martyrdom I stumbled across this article last week about this remarkable Christ-like response on the part of Egypt's Coptic Christians to <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/isis-allies-in-libya-post-video-purporting-to-show-beheadings-of-21-coptic-christians-1.2958513" target="_blank">the slaughter of 21 of their brothers in Libya by ISIS affiliated militants</a> back in February. The opening half includes the most important comments, including those from the brother of two of the men who were killed:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>Twenty-one Egyptian Coptic Christians were slaughtered on a beach
in Libya a week ago. And even in his mourning, the brother of two of
them gave thanks.
Beshir Kamel, brother of both Bishoy Astafanus Kamel, who was 25, and
Somaily Astafanus Kamel, who was 23, thanked their murderers for not
editing out the name of their Savior when disseminating the video of
their beheadings.</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>Appearing on an Arabic Christian television station, Kamel said that the
families of the men, laborers who were working in Libya in order to
provide for their families — 13 of them from the same small,
impoverished village — were congratulating one another. “We are proud to
have this number of people from our village who have become martyrs,”
he explained.
Who would have an ounce of gratitude at such a moment? The answer: one
who has hope — hope of something real and eternal.
It sounds crazy to a modern secular society, one that tends to view
religious faith as sentiment, comfort, and milestone ritual.</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>Kamel said: “Since the Roman era, Christians have been martyred and have
learned to handle everything that comes our way. This only makes us
stronger in our faith because the Bible told us to love our enemies and
bless those who curse us.” And he relayed what his mother had said, when
asked what she would do if she ever met the man who had beheaded her
son. “My mother, an uneducated woman in her sixties, said she would ask
[him] to enter her house and ask God to open his eyes because he was the
reason her son entered the kingdom of heaven.”</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>That’s no mere sentiment, comfort, or ritual. While it’s unlikely that
the Kamels’ mother will face that day, Christians throughout the world
have the ability to take action.
In his response to the news from Libya, His Grace Bishop Angaelos,
general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom,
explained: “While it may seem illogical or incomprehensible, we also
pray for those who have carried out these horrific crimes, that the
value of God’s creation and human life may become more evident to them,
and in this realization, that the wider effects of pain brought by this
and other acts of brutality may be realized and avoided. We pray for an
end to the dehumanization of captives who become mere commodities to be
bartered, traded, and negotiated with.”</i><br /><br /> Read more at: <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/414222/heaven-face-hell-kathryn-jean-lopez">http://www.nationalreview.com/article/414222/heaven-face-hell-kathryn-jean-lopez</a></div>
</blockquote>
<img alt="This image made from a video released Sunday by militants in Libya claiming loyalty to ISIS purportedly shows masked militants leading Egyptian Coptic Christians in orange jumpsuits along a beach before they are made to kneel and simultaneously beheaded. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video. " height="349" src="http://i.cbc.ca/1.2958518.1424039521%21/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/islamic-state-copts.jpg" title="" width="100%" /><br />
<br />
I am always humbled by the profound faith of my Christian sisters and brothers who live in poorer and more dangerous parts of the world. Most of the comfortable and secure Western Christians that I know (including myself) struggle with Jesus' teachings about loving and forgiving our enemies, refusing to use violence, and the call to sacrifice all, including our lives, to bear witness the gospel (note: 'martyr' is the Greek word for witness). Most of us end up saying (or quietly believing) that these are nice ideas, but ultimately not all that practical or applicable for us today.<br />
<br />
That's not to say that this is an easy thing for these Coptic Christians to live with, but in spite of the difficulty and the pain they must feel, they are actually doing and proclaiming the things Jesus taught us to do. As we go through Lent, let's us here in Canada and the West remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in places like Libya, Egypt, Iraq and Syria (where <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/isis-has-now-abducted-220-christian-assyrians-activists-say-1.2973069" target="_blank">ISIS has kidnapped 220 Assyrian Christians</a>) who out of necessity and the grace of Jesus take up their cross in much more concrete ways than most of us ever do here. Let us pray in particular for the families of these 21 new Egyptian martyrs, for strength and peace through their grief and loss and thanksgiving for the faith that sustains this community through this trial.<br />
<br />
Here are the names of all 21:<br />
<div>
1. Milad Makeen Zaky
2. Abanub Ayad Atiya
3. Maged Solaiman Shehata
4. Yusuf Shukry Yunan
5. Kirollos Shokry Fawzy
6. Bishoy Astafanus Kamel
7. Somaily Astafanus Kamel
8. Malak Ibrahim Sinweet
9. Tawadros Yusuf Tawadros
10. Girgis Milad Sinweet
11. Mina Fayez Aziz
12. Hany Abdelmesih Salib
13. Bishoy Adel Khalaf
14. Samuel Alham Wilson
15. Worker from Awr village
16. Ezat Bishri Naseef
17. Loqa Nagaty
18. Gaber Munir Adly
19. Esam Badir Samir
20. Malak Farag Abram
21. Sameh Salah Faruq</div>
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-30913914536240137612015-02-24T15:46:00.001-05:002015-02-24T15:48:24.842-05:00Measles, Vaccination and the Importance of Critical ThinkingIt's hard to listen or read the news lately without coming across news of this winter's measles outbreaks and the issue of vaccination (though this week has been a bit quieter). It's certainly seen a lot of discussion in my house - both because my wife is a public health nurse and because we have two young children. My son is two and a half and therefore has only had one of the two MMR shots. My daughter is six months old and is too young to have received her vaccination. So let's just say the growing number of people rejecting vaccinations is concerning for me and my wife.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
But aside from the specifics of measles and vaccination, this story hits on a broader problem faced by people of my generation. For reference I was born in 1982 which by most counts makes me the among the first members of Generation Y or the Millennial Generation (which usually refers to those born between 1981 and 2000). This generation has grown up with computers, the internet and some form of social media. Among the key values Millennials embrace are tolerance, diversity, authenticity and personal experience. They also tend to be suspicious of authority and institutions.<br />
<br />
Now as I've been thinking about the news I've been reminded that it's these values that have played so strongly into the movement questioning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. It all has to do with the question of authority, who to trust and where we get our information.<br />
<br />
Let me give you an example. As an early member of the Millennial Generation I can remember a time before the internet as well as the early days of 'the world wide web.' For me those early days were when I was in high school (all restrictions on who could access the internet in North America were lifted in 1995). I still remember the frustratingly slow dial-up internet connections and getting disconnected if someone picked up the phone to make a call (on a land line).<br />
<br />
I also remember being told by my teachers that as appealing a resource as the internet was, it was not a source of reliable information that had been thoroughly fact checked. We could use the internet to track down books and print articles, but essays and research papers need to be based on information found on paper. This opened up a bit when I was in university. At that point we could use any information from the online portals of scholarly journals (which you could only access through university's paid subscription for these services). Any other information from the internet was to be used with care, and most of your sources still had to be in print form or from those scholarly journals. And you never quoted Wikipedia as a reliable source of information (seeing as Wikipedia had just launched when I started my undergraduate in 2001).<br />
<br />
I'm familiar with all of this because I'm an early Millennial. But those born after me have little or no experience of this, especially those born after 1990. For later Millennials the internet is the primary, if not only, source of information. Few younger Millennials have the same caution about online sources that I or members of older generations do (though admittedly many older people are just as ready to believe anything online as Millennials). Combine this with the Millennial value of tolerance, which includes putting value on all view points, as well as a suspicion of traditional authority and you have a potential problem.<br />
<br />
And that's because everything online is <i>not</i> of equal value. One hazard of the internet is that an accredited, peer-reviewed scientist and a crack-pot who thinks the earth is flat have exactly the same ability to publish their views. And the second person may actually have more ability to get their message out if they know how to make a slick website with persuasive writing, good visuals and video, and have a mastery of social media.<br />
<br />
Now I'm not exactly saying anything radical here. But it does need to be said especially in this time where confidence in traditional authorities and institutions is at a historic low. More than ever people need to practice critical thinking when they come across a piece of information presented online (or in person for that matter).<br />
<br />
Yes, all information should be evaluated critically, including that given by established authorities. <i>But this is especially true of perspectives and information circulated online by people who have no formal training, qualifications, or expertise</i>. Personal experience and opinions can are an important source of information, but they must be carefully evaluated. Accredited experts can be wrong and mistaken, or corrupt and distorting information for their own benefit, but at least there is a system of checks and balances for scientists, doctors and public officials. It may not always work, but at least it's there and it can be appealed to when it fails.<br />
<br />
But for people online who are posting their own opinions, or those they've picked up from others, there is no system of checks and balances <i>other than an individual's ability to think critically.</i><br />
<br />
And let me say that having an education does not guarantee that one has the ability to think critically. Indeed it can lead to people thinking they are experts on all things simply because they have a diploma or degree with their name on it. Education can help people develop critical thinking skills, yet this must be a priority for both the educator and the student.<br />
<br />
Now many atheists and agnostics might laugh at the idea of a Christian minister encouraging people to think critically, but using one's mind to test what is true is an important part of the Christian tradition. "A single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with any offense that may be committed. Only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained." (Deuteronomy 19:15) "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1) On top of that, my own particular Presbyterian tradition places a lot of emphasis on rational thought, thorough debate, and high quality education.<br />
<br />
I'm also deeply appreciative of my training as a history major. One of the most important tasks that a historian has is sorting through stories to try to find out the truth. Historians have to evaluate every source they encounter, weigh the evidence and decide what is good evidence and what is of lesser value. Either way I do place a high value on critical thought, and thorough fact checking.<br />
<br />
So when you come across an opinion, or what purports to be a fact online ask some questions:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Who is this coming from? What's the original source? Can you find the original source? Does it come from someone with expertise in this area or are they an amateur? <i>Amateur's can be correct and experts can be wrong, yet this distinction matters.</i></li>
<li>Is this information hearsay or is it supported by others who can attest to it? Has it been borne out by the scientific method? Has it been proven by repeated testing, under controlled conditions, that has produced the same results consistently?</li>
<li>Is this information accepted by other experts in the same field? Has it been reviewed and evaluated by others who understand the subject (ie. medicine, engineering, physics, social science, history etc.)?</li>
<li>Is this a widely held view or that of a minority? <i>Popularity of an idea is no guarantee of truth, and the majority can often be wrong, yet given enough time and the free distribution of ideas, the truth does tend to be persuasive to a majority of people.</i></li>
<li>What is the agenda or perspective of the person giving you the information (or the agenda of the person they got it from)? What is their bias? Are there signs that this agenda or perspective has distorted, or strongly influenced the information they're giving? Who might benefit from this information being accepted as true? <i>Everyone has a perspective and no one is entirely objective, yet some ore more objective than others, and certainly there are people who more or less selfish and self-seeking than others.</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
This list of questions is not exhaustive but they are a good start for evaluating any information you come across online or anywhere else. Because as I said above, more than at any time in recent history, my generation and those after will have to test everything to determine what is true, both for their own sake and for that of their neighbors and fellow citizens.<br />
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-86626445243233958472015-02-24T13:03:00.001-05:002015-02-24T13:03:51.377-05:00Bible Study - John 1:19-51Well I've got this up a few weeks late for two reasons: extreme busyness, and being away on vacation for two weeks. But here it is. We looked at this passage in John in our group on January 27.<br />
<br />
The whole passage flows as a series of interconnected narratives all starting with John the Baptist who points people to Jesus. John specifically points out Jesus to two of his own followers, one of whom is Andrew. Andrew becomes the first link in a chain that brings in his brother Simon Peter, and then two other men from their hometown, Philip and Nathanael. All in all this passage underlines the importance of inviting our family, friends, and acquaintances to come experience Jesus for themselves.<br />
<br />
Here are a few more things to ponder:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">This passage picks up and develops the theme of witness or testimony introduced in the prologue to the Gospel (1:8,18). <span lang="EN-CA">What value do you place on personal testimony (either
in the context of a court of law or in everyday life)?</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does it affect how we experience the story of Jesus' baptism to hear it as eyewitness testimony, rather than as third person narrative as it is in the other Gospels?</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Notice that John carries out his ministry of baptism 'across the Jordan.' Read Joshua 3:1-17 in the Old Testament. What is the significance of passing through the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel? What message might John the Baptist be giving to Israel as a nation (beyond his message to individuals)?</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reflect on the meaning the various titles given to Jesus in these verses: Lamb of God (1:29,36); Son of God (1:34, 49); Rabbi (1:38); Messiah (1:41); 'him about whom Moses... and the prophets wrote' (1:45); King of Israel (1:49); and Son of Man (1:51, used by Jesus himself). What do these titles say about who Jesus is? What might Jesus mean when he says the disciples will see greater thing? Might there be more to Jesus than we first think?</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reflect on the importance of the call to "Come and see," that appears in 1:39 and 1:46. How important is it for people to see and </span>experience<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Jesus for themselves rather than just hear about him from others?</span></span></li>
<li>That being said reflect on how important it is in this passage that people like John the Baptist, Andrew and Philip told others about Jesus. Who first told you about Jesus? When did you first come and see him? And if you haven't seen or experienced Jesus yet, where might you go to meet him?</li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-10347608421564367062015-01-21T15:21:00.000-05:002015-01-21T15:21:13.225-05:00New Bible Study: The Gospel of JohnAfter another long hiatus, I'm going to try to get back to regularly blogging again. No resolution this year, just going to give it my best. Once again I'll be giving weekly updates on our Bible Study at the church for those who aren't able to attend in person, and for anyone else out there who is interested.<br />
<br />
This week we begin with a quick overview of the Gospel, before diving into the Prologue (John 1:1-18) that opens John.<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Overview
of the Gospel of John</span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Completed somewhere between 75
and 100AD, John was written in several stages, with one final revision
after the death of the witness whose testimony is the basis of the Gospel (John
20:30-31 & 21:20-25 notice how John has two endings).</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">John is quite different from the
other three Gospels in style and in content. While much of Matthew, Mark
and Luke, occurs in and around Galilee (in the north of Israel) where
Jesus lived and spent most of his ministry, most of John takes place in
Judea (in the south) in and around the city of Jerusalem as Jesus comes
and goes to the major Jewish religious festivals.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The eye witness is named only as “the
disciple whom Jesus loved” in the Gospel itself (I’ll normally refer to
him as the Beloved Disciple). Traditionally this person was identified as
the Apostle, John son of Zebedee. Yet there are a number of reasons to
question this identification, and John (Hebrew: Yohanan) was a very common
Jewish name in the 1<sup>st</sup> Century AD (there are at least four
significant Johns in the New Testament).</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The thing to take away from this,
is that the Gospel of John is based on eyewitness testimony, even though
it is often quite different from the other three Gospels. There is a lot in
common between them (including events and sayings of Jesus), yet each sees
some things the others do not see.</span><span lang="EN-CA"> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We can see it as
Matthew, Mark and Luke being on one side of the street, with John standing
by himself on the other.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
Gospel writer and his church were deeply Jewish, yet were profoundly alienated
from the mainstream Jewish community at the time the Gospel was written.
Passages like John 12:42 & 16:2 suggest that they had been forced out
because of their beliefs about Jesus. Therefore we must be careful in how we
interpret the term ‘the Jews’ in the Gospel of John. Most often this term
refers to the Jewish leaders who were opposed to Jesus and then later to the
early Jewish Christian movement, rather than the Jewish people as a whole.</span></li>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">John 1:1-18 </span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">T</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">he
Gospel of John is far from the only part of the New Testament to express the
belief that Jesus existed with God prior to his human life. Read Philippians
2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20 and Hebrews 1:1-5 and compare them to John.</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
Gospel of John draws on a number of different sources for his reflection on
Jesus as the Word of God. Read Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 33:6 and Isaiah 55:10-11
which speak of God’s Word in Creation. What John has to say about the Word also
applies to another key Old Testament concept – Wisdom. Read Proverbs 8:22-36
and if you have a Bible with the Apocrypha look up the Wisdom of Solomon 9:1-4
and Sirach 24:1-7 (you can also find these books online at <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/">https://www.biblegateway.com/</a>). What
do all these things suggest about who Jesus is?</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If
all of that reading seems overwhelming, just read John by itself and take some
time to reflect on how John invites us into the mystery of who Jesus is, and
what God has done in him. Look especially at John 1:14. Consider how radical an
idea this is and what it says about the kind of relationship God has with
Creation, and with you and me.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Finally,
take note of the words and phrases John uses here (ie. light & darkness, truth,
grace, glory, Son, Father, among others). The Prologue includes all of the
major ideas that John will explore later in the Gospel. Watch for these words
and phrases as we go on our way.</span></li>
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Finally, there is a new visual production of Gospels out called the <a href="http://www.lumoproject.com/" target="_blank">Lumo Project</a>. The full version of the Gospel of John in the both the King James and 2011 New International Version is available on Netflix. But Bible.com has a number of clips, including John 1:1-18. See it here:<a href="https://www.bible.com/en-GB/videos/250" target="_blank"> https://www.bible.com/en-GB/videos/250 </a><br />
<br />
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-68007978756704701342014-08-20T10:45:00.000-04:002014-08-20T10:45:15.917-04:00Of Trumpets and Ice Buckets...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Be careful not to display your
righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with
your Father in heaven. Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a
trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that
people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. But when
you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing, so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret,
will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4 NET)</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now there’s a
bucket of ice water. Like a lot of people I have mixed feelings about the ALS
Ice Bucket Challenge. For me what Jesus says about our giving to charity is a
big part of it. Yet that is balanced by the fact that like a lot of Canadian
Presbyterians I am quite familiar with this terrible condition that’s also
known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Back in 1997
a dynamic young Presbyterian minister named Chris Vais was diagnosed with ALS.
Chris was the minister of Knox Church in Waterdown, Ontario, from a family of
Presbyterian ministers (I’ve written about Chris <a href="http://houseandsanctuary.blogspot.ca/2011/09/prayers-too-deep-for-words.html" target="_blank">before</a>). In a little over a
year Chris had to retire from congregational ministry, but instead of being
defeated by the illness that was slowly paralyzing him, he decided to continue
his calling through a self-published journal called <i>For Words</i>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My parents
knew Chris and his family through the church, and subscribed to the journal. There Chris shared
his reflections on his illness and his Christian faith. That journal touched a
lot of lives and in 2001 Chris received an honorary doctorate from Knox
College. My mum was also graduating that night, so I had the chance to meet
Chris briefly. He died a little over a year later in 2002, a few months short
of his 40<sup>th</sup> birthday.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On top of
this there’s the fact that in just my little congregation there are two
families who have been touched by ALS since I started in ministry four years
ago. So as much as I have some significant reservations about the showiness and
debatable value of this ice bucket challenge, I can’t just write it off either.
It is raising additional money for ALS research and raising some greater
awareness of the disease (though how much more than just the three letters of
its name is debatable).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What this
does do is provide an opportunity to think about charity and how and why we
give. According to a 2013 article in the <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/what-canadians-give-how-charity-depends-on-where-you-live/article16065426/" target="_blank">Globe and Mail</a>, Canadians give a
little less than 1 per cent (0.8) of their annual income to charity. <a href="http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2012001/article/11637-eng.htm#a3" target="_blank">StatisticsCanada</a> produced a detailed study of charitable giving in Canada in 2010</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">when the average annual amount per
donor was $446 and the median amount was $123 (a median means that half of
donors gave less than this amount and the other half gave more).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So, as William
MacAskill from the University of Cambridge observed on CBC’s <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2014/08/20/taking-on-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge/" target="_blank">The Current</a> this
morning, there are a limited amount of charitable dollars to go around.
MacAskill referred to a phenomenon known as ‘charity cannibalism,’ which
means that when people give to a high profile charity they usually don’t give on top of what they normally would in a year – instead they just give less
to their other charities. In short most people set aside a more or less fixed
amount for charity in a year and whichever charity gets their attention gets
the money – whether it’s a good charity or not.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And the truth
is that not all charities are created equal. Many are very effective and make
good use of our charitable givings, others do little that’s effective and spend
most of our money on administration, advertising and fundraising. So how do
you know? A great resource is <a href="http://www.charityintelligence.ca/">www.charityintelligence.ca/</a>
which provides an annual ranking of most Canadian charities. They give ALS
Canada a B+ ranking. You can take a look at the full report here:<a href="http://www.charityintelligence.ca/charity-details/610-als-society-of-canada"> http://www.charityintelligence.ca/charity-details/610-als-society-of-canada</a>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">So is it
worth taking the ice bucket challenge or supporting someone else who is? I can’t
answer that for you. ALS is a terrible disease and Tammy Moore the head of ALS
Canada argues that it’s an underfunded illness in comparison to the number of
Canadians affected by it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What I can
suggest is a few questions before you have someone dump a bucket of ice water
over your head. Why am I doing this? Is it to look good before others, or am I
really doing this for those paralyzed and slowly dying from ALS? If I give
money to this cause, what other causes will I not be giving to? Or will I do
something different and give to ALS on top of what I give to other charities
and spend a bit less on myself? And will I do this quietly or will I blow a
trumpet and post a video?</span></div>
<br />
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-6844977268948711942014-07-23T11:11:00.000-04:002014-07-23T11:13:54.008-04:00Who we are called to beFor the time being I think I'm going to continue posting some of the standout items the prayer book I'm using (<a href="http://commonprayer.net/" target="_blank"><i>Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals</i></a>). Today's prayers included a selection from a 2nd Century Christian writing known as the Letter to Diognetus.<br />
<br />
I've been familiar with this remarkable text for a while, but it was good to be reminded of it today. It presents and image of what Christians can be, and are called to be, and a reminder of why the early Church spread the faith of Jesus so widely in spite of persecution and disdain. Here's a selection from the section known as 'the Church in the world.'<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For
Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by country
or language or customs. They do not live in cities of their own; they do not
use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of life.
This doctrine of theirs has not been discovered by the ingenuity or deep
thought of inquisitive people, nor do they put forward a merely human teaching,
as some people do. Yet, although they live in Greek and barbarian cities alike,
as each one's lot has been cast, and follow the customs of the country in
clothing and food and other matters of daily living, at the same time they give
proof of the remarkable and admittedly extraordinary constitution of their own
commonwealth. They live in their own countries, but only as aliens. They have a
share in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every
foreign land is their homeland, and yet for them every homeland is a foreign
land. They marry, like everyone else, and they beget children, but they do not
cast out their offspring. They share their board with each other, but not their
marriage bed. It is true that they are "in the flesh," but they do
not live "according to the flesh." They busy themselves on earth, but
their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, but in their
own lives they go far beyond what the laws require. They love all people, and
by all people are persecuted. They are unknown, and still they are condemned;
they are put to death, and yet they are brought to life. They are poor, and yet
they make many rich; they are completely destitute, and yet they enjoy complete
abundance. They are dishonoured, and in their very dishonour are glorified;
they are defamed, and are vindicated. They are reviled, and yet they bless;
when they are affronted, they still pay due respect. When they do good, they
are punished as evildoers; undergoing punishment, they rejoice because they are
brought to life. They are treated by the Jews as foreigners and enemies, and
are hunted down by the Greeks; and all the time those who hate them find it
impossible to justify their enmity.</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">To put it
simply: What the soul is in the body, that Christians are in the world.</span></i></div>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-88311737637794518642014-07-17T11:11:00.002-04:002014-07-17T11:11:54.622-04:00Well so much for my New Year's Resolution...I put up two posts in January... and now it's the end of July.<br />
<br />
As it turned out this was the winter of horrible colds, flus and other fun things largely brought home by my son from daycare. I think the longest consecutive stretch any of us was well all winter was about 2 weeks (and that was me, my poor wife I think had 5 days). Anyway it's the summer and I'm trying to decide whether to post some of the backlog of Bible Study material or just start fresh with some new items.<br />
<br />
In the mean time here is some content from the prayer book I'm using for my personal devotions. It's called <i>Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals</i> and is a prayer book that comes out of the new monastic movement. The lead author (there are several who worked on it) is Shane Claiborne, who you may know for his work with the 'Red-Letter Christian' movement along with Tony Campolo. You can buy the book online in full or pocket format, or you can get the daily devotional online here: <a href="http://commonprayer.net/">http://commonprayer.net/</a><br />
<br />
Here's part of the daily reflection from earlier this week that really caught my attention:<br />
<br />
<i>Listen to these words from the Shepherd of Hermas, whose second-century writings were cherished by the early Christians: “You know that you who are God’s servants are living in a foreign country, for your own city-state is far away from this City-state. Knowing, then, which one is to be your own City-state, why do you acquire fields, costly furnishings, buildings, and frail dwellings here? Instead of fields, buy for yourselves people in distress in accordance with your means. It is far, far better to buy this kind of field, property, or building, which is quite different and which you can find again in your own City when you come home. This ‘extravagance’ is beautiful and holy; it brings no grief and no fear; it brings nothing but joy.”</i><br /><br />Claiborne, Shane; Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan; Okoro, Enuma (2010-11-23). Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 358). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. <br />
<br />
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-3280645742637278982014-01-02T17:07:00.000-05:002014-01-02T17:07:28.845-05:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 13 - The Lord's Supper1 Corinthians provides our only clear window into how the Lord's Supper was practiced by the first Christians, and what the apostles taught about it. While Paul speaks does speak about the "table of the Lord" a bit earlier in 10:14-22, his main discussion of the Lord's Supper comes here in 11:17-34. As with most things in the life of the church in Corinth the Lord's Supper had become a source of division rather than unity. But as with all of the other issues addressed in this letter it provided Paul an opportunity to provide Christians down the ages with important teaching.<br />
<ul>
<li>Read <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1 Cor. 11:17-22. How do divisions, injustices
and broken relationships affect our ability to worship God faithfully? How
might authentic worship (that is focused on God and his call to love) help to
heal and set right our brokenness?</span></li>
<li>Read<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> 1
Cor. 11:27-34. In light of what Paul says in verses 17-22 what might he mean
when he speaks of eating the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner? What kind of
self-examination is Paul requiring from his church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What kind of self-examination should we
practice today?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Lord's Supper is a free gift from Jesus to
his disciples. Yet Paul's teaching suggests that it's important to open our
hearts and lives to receive that gift and it's spiritual benefits. How can we
seek God's help to prepare our hearts, minds and lives to receive the Lord’s
Supper today?</span></li>
<li>Read <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1 Cor. 11:23-26. This passage is used all the
time in our celebrations of the Lord’s Supper. How has reading of the rest of 1
Cor. 11:17-34 affected how you hear these words? What role does the faithful
practice of the Lord’s Supper have in fostering Christian love and unity in the
church?</span></li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-57019982305674571802014-01-01T10:41:00.003-05:002014-01-01T10:42:51.596-05:00Happy New Year!Happy New Year everyone. Though I'm not much on New Year's resolutions, one I will make for this year is to keep this blog regularly updated. Seeing as I've been saying that for a while, we'll see how that goes. In any case the change of year does offer the chance to try some new things and make a few changes.<br />
<br />
It's also an opportunity to do more than just get ourselves back to the gym or drop a few items from our diet (for a few weeks). In a number of Christian traditions the New Year is taken as an opportunity to recommit ourselves to God. One of the best known is the practice of the New Year's Covenant service that goes back to John Wesley the founder of the Methodist tradition (though Wesley adapted much of his practice from the English Puritans).<br />
<br />
Even though I'm a Presbyterian and a Calvinist, I've always had a love for John Wesley and his brother Charles (the great hymn writer). All of my ancestors on my Nana's side (my dad's mother) were devout Methodists going back to at least early decades of the 19th Century, and my dad also has a love for Charles Wesley's hymns.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, one piece of the Covenant service that many people have perhaps heard of is Wesley's Covenant prayer. It's one of my favourite pieces of Protestant Christian liturgy (written prayer), and is an excellent way for any of us as individual Christians, small group ministries, or congregations can renew our commitment to God as we enter a new year, or really at any time of the year.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I am no longer my own but yours.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Put me to what you will,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>rank me with whom you will;</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>put me to doing,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>put me to suffering;</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>let me be employed for you,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>or laid aside for you,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>exalted for you,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>or brought low for you;</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>let me be full,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>let me be empty,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>let me have all things,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>let me have nothing:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>to your pleasure and disposal.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>And now, glorious and blessed God,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Father, Son and Holy Spirit,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>you are mine and I am yours. So be it.<br />
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in
heaven. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(The Methodist Church in Britain, 1999)</div>
<br />
Note for History Geeks: You may be interested to know that while the words of the Covenant Prayer do go back to John Wesley, he did not compose them in the form of this compact liturgical prayer. In 1780 Wesley produced a 22 page pamphlet called <i>Directions for Renewing our Covenant with God.</i> It's a fascinating short work calling for intense self-examination, confession of sin, prayer and submission to God. Every single one of the phrases in the Covenant Prayer comes from this pamphlet. The Prayer in this form seems to have been compiled by the British Methodist Church in the first few decades of the 20th Century (the earliest version I could find is from a 1936 service book). If you're interested in Wesley's original work you can find a .pdf copy here: <a href="http://wesley.nnu.edu/fileadmin/imported_site/Wesley_Covenant-1781.pdf">http://wesley.nnu.edu/fileadmin/imported_site/Wesley_Covenant-1781.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-39441930747126373432013-10-31T22:33:00.001-04:002013-10-31T22:33:17.579-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 12 - Women's Role in WorshipWith this session we get into that contentious issue of the Apostle Paul's views on women in the Christian church. I'm going to present one perspective, and while I believe this perspective is correct I recognize that there are a wide variety of views on this subject. 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 deals specifically with the question of whether women in Paul's churches should have their heads covered when they take part in worship, but touches on the larger issues of women's roles in worship, as well as the differences and commonalities between men and women.<br />
<ul>
<li>Paul's <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">discussion
of head coverings in 11:2-16 is pretty much the most confusing passage in 1
Corinthians. Read Genesis chapters 1-3, and Galatians 3:26-29 to help
understand what he’s saying.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Read
1 Cor. 11:2-16. The key word in this passage is ‘head’ which Paul uses both
literally and metaphorically. Without making assumptions about what Paul means,
think of all of the possible meanings of the word ‘head’. How do these
different meanings of ‘head’ affect the meaning of the passage?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Why
do you think Paul bothers to talk about head coverings? Is he concerned with
clothing or something else?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Does Paul allow women to pray and prophesy in worship?</span></li>
</ul>
Having asked some questions I'm going to continue my bad habit of going ahead and answering some of them. I do this because this passage affects the place of women in Christian communities, and also affects the reputation of the Christian faith in contemporary culture. While there are plenty of times and issues where our faith will give offense to the various cultures in which the church finds itself (and it will offend people in different cultures and societies differently), if there's little conflict between what the Bible teaches and our culture I'd rather not create tension where none exists.<br />
<br />
I'll answer my last question first. It's quite clear in this passage that <b>Paul assumes that women will pray and prophesy in the public worship of the church.</b> He assumes that women will speak in worship and take a leading role - especially in light of his argument later in chapter 14 that prophecy is a superior spiritual gift and one that is exercised publicly.<br />
<br />
But why then does Paul bother to talk about head coverings? Well one possible reason may have been to protect the reputation of Christian communities from unnecessary slander (they'd get enough criticism for the right reasons), since one group of women who wore their hair loose and uncovered in public were prostitutes. Another possibility is that Paul wanted to avoid confusion with other religious groups in which women would wear their hair loose while worshiping.<br />
<br />
However the main reason for Paul's concern probably has to do with his radical teaching that men and women in Christ are united and equal, which we find in Galatians 3:26-29. This teaching would have been profoundly liberating for women in Greek and Roman society, but the question it raised was what does this look like in everyday life and in the life of the church? From this passage it would seem that some took Paul to mean that women and men were the same, or equivalent. Paul here seems to argue instead that while women and men are equal, they were created different and distinct from one another (something Paul argues with his references to Genesis 1-3 in this passage) Therefore women and men should maintain their genuine distinctions while celebrating their new equality in Christ (admittedly though, I tend to think that Paul here confuses cultural gender norms around hair with the biological and psychological distinctions between men and women).<br />
<br />
What about the way Paul uses the word head in this passage, specifically in 11:3 "But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and a man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ." The most common reading of this verse is that head here means 'one who has authority over' (ie. that 'a man has authority over a woman'). But as I've noted above, the word head can have a wide variety of meanings. In the light of what Paul says about woman coming from man and man coming from woman in verses 8 and 9, it makes more sense 'head' in verse 3 means 'source' (as in 'the head of a river' ie. its source). This gives verse 3 the meaning 'Christ is the source of every man, and a man is the source of a woman, and God is the source of Christ,' which makes perfect sense if Paul is talking about the creation of humankind in light of Genesis 1-3.<br />
<br />
Anyway, these are some of my thoughts on the passage. But even if you don't agree (or follow my reasoning, since I'm abbreviating a more detailed argument from my onsite Bible study), I would hope that most would agree that this passage should inspire some careful thought and a humble recognition that we're always going to be a little unclear on some of what Paul meant.<br />
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-78446325610102748252013-09-17T15:15:00.000-04:002013-09-17T15:15:38.388-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 11 - Clear Lines & NuanceThis session wraps up Paul's discussion of food offered in temples that started in chapter 8. With chapter 10 Paul turns to the question of where Christians need to draw lines between how we live and how the cultures around us live and what kind of lines are needed. While we no longer have to deal with our food being tied up in pagan religious practices, the question of when we should separate ourselves from the surrounding culture and when we should accommodate ourselves to it is always relevant.<br />
<ul>
<li> Paul <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">uses some details from the Exodus story as
examples in chapter 10. Read through Exodus 13:17-17:7 & 32:1-35 before
doing your reading from 1 Corinthians.</span></li>
<li>Read <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1 Corinthians 10:1-13. Do you agree with Paul’s
statement that God does not test us beyond out strength, and provides us with
the ability to endure? Does this teaching apply only to temptations to sin or to more general trials such as suffering?</span></li>
<li>Read <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1. Paul makes a distinction
between taking part in overt idol worship (to be avoided at all costs) and
eating meat that probably came from a pagan temple (the response depends on the
circumstances). Are there times when we have to draw absolute lines against the
world, and times when we need to take a more nuanced approach so that we are able to engage with
people outside of the church?</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-68849191705109516352013-09-17T14:35:00.002-04:002013-09-17T14:35:34.619-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 10 - Our Rights vs. Needs of OthersThis session continues Paul's discussion of the issue of "food offered to idols" that started in chapter 8. For the background information on this issue please see the last post. Here Paul continues to make his argument that there are times when Christians should not make full use of their rights, but instead set them aside for the needs of others. Here in chapter 9 Paul refers to his own refusal to accept money from the churches he founded and continues to serve.<br />
<ul>
<li>Read 1 Corinthians 9:1-12a (end of the first sentence). <span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Paul here lists the rights
of apostles in the early church. How might this list apply to those who serve
as ministers, pastors and priests in the church today? Should there be full-time ministers, pastors or priests who are paid to lead and care for local congregations in their Christian mission?</span></li>
<li>Read 1 Corinthians 9:12b-18. <span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">What do you make of Paul’s
reasons for not using his rights? How might this apply to the issue Paul is
dealing with in chapter 8? How might this apply to how we use our own rights
today?</span></li>
<li>Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-26. <span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Paul says he’s ‘become all
things to all people’ for his mission. Is this a good or bad? Does this mean Paul
has no firm beliefs and standards or does he mean something else?</span></li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-47194518597089493932013-09-17T14:20:00.000-04:002013-09-17T14:20:33.483-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 9 - Using our freedomWith this session we come to a new section of 1 Corinthians. In chapters 8 to 10 Paul is again responding to a question he's received from the Christians in Corinth. This time the concrete issue is "food sacrificed to idols," something which seems far removed from life today (and will need some explanation). That being said this ancient issue leads to an important discussion of the ways Christians should fit into the world and the ways we should stand out. It also raises the issue of how we should use our freedom, and whether there are times when we should limit out freedom for the sake of others.<br />
<br />
<b>The background:</b> In ancient cities almost all meat didn't come from a secular butcher - it came from temples where animals were sacrificed to various gods. Only a small amount was actually burned or eaten in the temples, and most of it made its way into the market. This meant that eating meat had all kinds of religious complications: should you eat food that was sacrificed to false gods? Wealthier Christians (of whom there were only a handful in Corinth) were the ones most affected, since the average person only could only afford to eat meat a few times a year (usually when it was given away free at civic festivals).<br />
<br />
But it also affected common people because virtually all local associations (craft guilds, fraternities, burial clubs) had special meals in temples. To be a full part of your local community and get the benefit of being part of these groups you had to go to these meals. In fact one of the most common criticisms of early Christians by pagans was that they were anti-social and hated other people because they didn't take part in a lot of the public life of their towns and cities.<br />
<br />
With all of this in mind let's now turn to what Paul has to say. <br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Read
1 Cor. 8:1-3. Are there times when we are concerned more with knowing things
about God and the Christian life than loving God and loving others?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Read
1 Cor. 8:4-6. What do you think Paul means he says both that no other gods
exist and that there are “many gods and many lords”? What gods or lords might
he be talking about in his time? What gods and lords would Paul see in ours?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Read
1 Cor. 8:7-13. Are there times when we should limit our freedom for the sake of
others? What activities or behaviours that are harmless to us might we consider
avoiding for the sake of others?</span></li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-29828322833271239752013-09-11T13:42:00.001-04:002013-09-11T13:42:22.064-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 8 - Marriage, Celebacy & the KingdomWith this session we continue our exploration of Paul's discussion of marriage and celibacy among Christians in 1 Corinthians 7. In the last session we considered the opening part of the chapter and now we finish it with verses 17-40. I'll give some reflection questions below, but I'll also give some interpretation because there are a few things in these verses that can be a bit confusing without clarification.<br />
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<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Read 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. What do you think Paul
means when he tells Christians, “let each of you remain in the condition in
which you were called? What’s your response to how Paul applies this teaching
to slaves? How might this teaching apply to those who are married and single?</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Read 1 Corinthians 7:25-31. What do you think Paul
means when he speaks of ‘the present crisis, and says ‘the time is short,’ and
that ‘this world… is passing away’? What might this have to do with what he
says about marriage and what he said earlier in verses 17-24?</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"> </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Read 1 Corinthians 7:32-40. Compare what Paul says
here with Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:37-39 and Luke 9:57-62. What does this say
about the kind of devotion we are to give to Jesus and God’s kingdom?</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"> </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Consider what Paul says in 7:38 ‘the one who marries…
does well; and the one who refrains from marriage will do better.’ What do you
think of Paul’s views on sexuality and marriage now that you have read through
all of 1 Corinthians 7?</span></li>
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To make sense of what Paul is saying in 7:17-40 it's important to remember that central to Paul's beliefs is the statement he makes in Galatians 3:26-28 "<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God
through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer
slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in
Christ Jesus." (NRSV) For Paul, all of the old divisions in ancient Mediterranean society are healed and all are made one and equal in Jesus: Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">But just as important for Paul is the fact that unity and equality should not be reduced to sameness. Jesus calls all people, and the church must always be made up of people of all kinds. Paul taught unity in diversity. He taught that Gentiles should continue to be Gentiles and not seek to become Jewish and that Jews should not give up their Jewish identity and become Gentiles. This is what he says in 7:17-20. Here he makes no exceptions. The church must contain both Jews and Gentiles.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">However, when it comes to slaves Paul does make an exception. In the context of a Roman Empire made up of slaves and free people, Christ's church ideally should always include both slaves and free to show that this false division is broken down in Jesus. This is why he tells slaves not to worry about their status as slaves - when it comes to their relationship with Jesus and their place in the community of his disciples their slave status doesn't matter.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">That being said Paul does make an exception here because out in day to day life in the Roman Empire being a slave meant one had a very different life from those who were free. And so he tells them that "if you can gain your freedom, use the opportunity." (7:21) The trouble is that the Greek of this verse is a bit unclear: it can be taken to mean 'gain your freedom' or it can possibly mean 'make use of your status as a slave more than ever' (ie. stay a slave even if you can be free). The King James Version kept the ambiguity of the verse in it's translation (which is why slave owners in the 18th and 19th Centuries were able to point to it as justification), but most modern translations have favoured the 'gain your freedom if you can' reading. The only major translation that gives the alternate reading is the NRSV - which is my preferred Bible translation, but on this verse I believe it is wrong.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">So here we have Paul giving the general rule, 'stay in the same life state you were in when you were called by Jesus' and a basic example with no exceptions (Jews and Gentiles), followed by an example of a life state where exceptions to the rule apply (Slaves and Free). This sets us up for what Paul will say about celibacy and marriage. General rule: it is best to stay single and celibate, it will allow you to do more for God's Kingdom and it will also make it easier for you to be a disciple of Jesus in this age of crisis. Exception: not everyone can do this - marry if you don't have the spiritual gift of celibacy. While Paul is often described as being too caught up in big ideas, here as elsewhere in his letters he shows that he is deeply practical and familiar with the needs of day to day life in the world.</span></div>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-60808962047502739552013-08-30T20:28:00.000-04:002013-08-30T20:28:42.220-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 7 - Christians & MarriageWell, with Bible Study starting again in the church on Thursday September 19 I have some catching up to do. So expect four more postings between now and then to get us up to 1 Corinthians 11.<br />
<br />
1 Corinthians chapter 7 sees Paul responding to a letter he's received from the Corinthian church. A majority of scholars consider the statement in 7:1 that "it is good for a man not to touch a woman" to be a statement by the Corinthians that Paul has quoted from this other letter (and many translations put it in quotation marks). This is a polite way to talk about sexual relations in marriage and leads Paul to address the question of whether Christians should marry or stay single, and whether they should become single or stay married if they already have a spouse.<br />
<br />
As we go through this chapter we see again that many in Corinth have misunderstood Paul's teaching, and Paul writes to clear up these misunderstandings. There's a lot of material here so I've split the chapter into two parts. First we'll deal with 7:1-16 and take on 7:17-40 in the next session.<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Read
1 Cor. 7:1-7. What do you make of Paul’s teaching about sexual relations in
marriage? Do you think this teaching would be conventional or
revolutionary<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in that time? What might
it say about Paul's beliefs about the relationship between wives and husbands in general?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Many people have read these verses and concluded that Paul viewed marriage and sexuality negatively or at least as inferior to the celibate life. What do you think? I'll ask this again after we've read the rest of the chapter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Read
1 Cor. 7:8-16. Paul here repeats Jesus’ challenging teaching about divorce (see
Mark 10:1-12). How might Paul’s own teaching tell us about how we might try to
apply what Jesus teaches in a life that is often messy and complicated?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Notice how Paul distinguishes between what Jesus himself taught (verse 10) and Paul's own interpretation and application of that teaching (verse 12). Because Paul's letters in the New Testament have been recognized as inspired Scripture we can accept that his teaching is faithful to Jesus; all the same it's very easy to confuse our personal interpretations of Jesus' words with the things that Jesus actually said and taught. How well do you think Christians today follow Paul example?</span>
</li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-22562466442066366532013-08-28T14:10:00.000-04:002013-08-28T14:10:08.953-04:00"I Have A Dream..."Today is the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speak during the March on Washington in the summer of 1963. Most of the discussion of the anniversary has focused on the obvious forms of discrimination faced then, how things have changed and what still needs to change. However little has been said about the more subtle form of discrimination and injustice that King spoke of throughout his mission: economic inequality.<br />
<br />
Falling in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets King frequently drew attention to matters of money, poverty and economics. "I Have A Dream" is fairly subtle and limited in it's discussion of economic inequality - compared to many of his other speeches King was more cautious as he made use of this opportunity to reach out to white middle-class Americans - but it's there nonetheless.<br />
<br />
The <i>Globe and Mail</i> has a good commentary on the full text of the speech <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/decoding-the-dream/article13937687/?from=13941449#dashboard/follows/" target="_blank">here</a> which highlights the context for a number of things that King references in the speech. Here's one of the comments on what King had to say about poverty and economics:<br />
<br />
<div class="quote" style="text-align: center;">
<i>"One hundred years later, <span class="highlight">the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty</span> in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity."</i></div>
<div class="quote" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>
King emphasizes that the march was not just for civil rights—its full
title was the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” He told
reporters that the march had a dual purpose: “to arouse the conscience
of the nation on the economic plight of the Negro 100 years after the
Emancipation Proclamation and to demand strong forthright civil-rights
legislation.”</i></div>
<br />
This is the key area where both the United States and Canada still fall far short of King's dream. The most overt forms of racism and discrimination have largely become socially unacceptable in both countries even though they still occur in various forms. On the whole we don't usually see segregation and violence or hear racial slurs on a day to day basis, thought of course this depends where you live in both the US and Canada (and as a Canadian I'd say we're generally better on this than our American neighbours). But when it comes to the poverty and economic injustice suffered by not only those of African descent but many other visible minorities in either country, these injustices are blatant, deep rooted and enduring.<br />
<br />
Here in Canada we need only look at the poverty, social problems and violence that afflicts many predominantly black neighbourhoods in Toronto - among those whose families have been here in North America for generations as well as among more recent African and Caribbean Canadians. Or we can look as the terrible conditions on countless First Nations reserves across the country and the poverty and violence in urban areas with large Aboriginal populations like the Winnipeg inner city. There are many more places and people whose unjust poverty could be named. And the shameful thing is that it is still minority groups that suffer disproportionately from poverty as well as the intimately related blights of illness and crime.<br />
<br />
Where discrimination particularly comes into play is the callous comments made so often, sometimes quietly or in private and at other times publicly or in print - "Well it's their own fault;" "They need to take responsibility for their own lives;" "Go and get a job and stop complaining". Contrary to what some believe, history powerfully affects present and where and to whom you are born makes a huge difference in life. Historic injustices do not disappear overnight, affect generation after generation, and can only be faced when we as a society take collective effort to try to set them right.<br />
<br />
Martin Luther King Jr. said as much in a speech he gave on April 4, 1967 protesting the Vietnam War: <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question
the fairness and justice of many of our past and present
policies. On the one hand we are called to play the good
Samaritan on life's roadside; but that will be only an initial
act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho
road must be transformed so that men and women will
not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their
journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than
flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and
superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which
produces beggars needs restructuring."</i></div>
<br />
At it's core Dr. King's dream was the Kingdom of God, something we'll never fully claim until Jesus comes again. But in the meantime we are called by our Lord to bring as much of that dream into reality as we are made able to by the Spirit of God. King called this work 'letting freedom ring.'<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village
and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to
speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men,
Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands
and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! free
at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-18192011137878763882013-07-31T11:24:00.000-04:002013-07-31T11:25:38.237-04:00Choosing a BibleThis is a resource that I have up on our church website, but I thought I'd also post it here for a wider audience. Also I'm really trying to post more regularly, so while this is technically cheating it gives me a new post after two weeks of silence... I'll get this blogging thing down one of these days.<br />
<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">CHOOSING A
BIBLE TRANSLATION</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Reading,
studying and praying through the Bible are an essential part of the Christian
faith. The Bible teaches us about who God is; the purpose of human life; and
how we should live in relation to God, to other people and to the created
world. But more than just a source of information, beliefs, and practices, when
we read the Bible with faith it becomes one of the key places where we
encounter God. Indeed, when we pray for God’s Spirit to bring the ancient words
alive, we are promised an encounter with God’s living Word – Jesus himself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 105.8pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">All
of this makes choosing which Bible translation to use an important decision.
The two main things that go into this decision is how faithful it is to the
original Hebrew and Greek Biblical manuscripts (so it will communicate what the
Bible really says), and whether it’s easy to understand and enjoyable to read
(so that you’ll actually want to read it). Picking a good translation means
balancing the two – some translations focus on being as literal as possible
(word-for-word), while others focus on taking the ideas spoken in the ancient
languages and putting them into easily understandable modern English
(thought-for-thought). Below I’ve listed four translations which are among the
most common ones used today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NIV (New
International Version)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
NIV is the most popular English Bible Translation in use today (it also happens
to be the Bible found in our church pews). It generally favours the
thought-for- thought translation approach and tends to be an easy Bible to read
(thought in some places it’s actually quite word-for-word). But because of this
thought-for-thought approach the translators had to do more interpretation when
translating. For this reason it tends to reflect the Protestant and moderately
conservative outlook of its translators. There are also times where the attempt
to make it easy to read in English actually changes the meaning of the original
languages. The Letters of Paul (Romans to Philemon in the New Testament) are
where this most obvious. Despite these shortcomings it’s generally a good
translation, and because it’s easier to read than either the NRSV or ESV it’s
accessible to most people. Also, chances are someone else around the table will
have the same Bible as you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NRSV (New
Revised Standard Version)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
NRSV is a mainly word- for-word translation of the Bible that is the most
commonly used translation in university level Biblical studies. One of its
distinctive features are the fact that it was translated by a group of scholars
that included Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians, which
makes it largely free of bias towards any one Christian tradition. It also
makes use of gender neutral language where the translators felt that the
original text referred to both men and women (ie. when New Testament uses the
word ‘brothers’ as a general term for Christians, the NRSV translates this as
“brothers <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and sisters</i>”). This can be
a mixed blessing as on the one hand it makes for a Bible that’s more inclusive
for women, but there are times when it can confuse or change the meaning of a
passage. This has been my primary Bible for some time (though for formal study
I usually refer to several different translations including the ESV, NIV and NET).
It’s relatively easy to read, but preserves enough of the distinctive flavour
of Hebrew and Greek to make you pause every now and then to think about what
you just read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ESV (English
Standard Version)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
ESV is another good choice for a literal translation of the Bible. If you read
them side by side the ESV and NRSV are quite similar since they’re both based
on an older English translation called the RSV (Revised Standard Version). The
main difference between the two is that the ESV</span><span lang="EN-CA"> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">reflects a mainly Protestant
outlook, is generally more conservative in its interpretation and does not use
gender neutral language. For this reason it’s more word-for-word than the NRSV
when it comes to the way the Biblical writers use gendered words (ie. when the
New Testament says ‘brothers,’ the ESV translates it directly as “brothers”).
It’s a more recent translation (2001) but is becoming more common in
universities as an alternative to the NRSV. Choosing between these two literal
translations really comes down to a matter of personal preference. I generally
find the NRSV a bit more of a neutral translation (thought all translations
involve interpretation and reflect the opinions of the translators) but there
are many times when I appreciate the slightly more literal nature of the ESV.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NLT (New
Living Translation)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
NLT is another common thought-for-thought translation of the Bible, though more
recent and not as popular as the NIV. As Bible translations go it’s one of the
easiest read (other than those like the Good News Bible or Contemporary English
Version which are aimed at people with a basic reading level). However, it’s
the least literal of the four translations I’ve listed and there are times when
it narrowly interprets a Biblical passage in one particular direction. This
means there are many times when what you’re reading is really the
interpretation of the translation team. For this reason I’d mainly suggest it
as a first Bible that’s easier to read than the first three I’ve listed. It’s
no good owning a Bible if you never want to read it, so if the more formal
style of the others puts you off at first the NLT is a good option to get your
started. You may also want to pick up the NLT is as a second Bible if you
already own a more literal translation and want something that’s more casual
for devotional reading.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Others</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
NASB (New American Standard Bible) is another highly literal translation. The
reason I don’t usually recommend it is that in trying to be as literal as
possible the translation is often awkward and difficult to read. At the other
end of the spectrum is The Message, a popular Bible paraphrase written by
Eugene Peterson. It’s a good way to get fresh insight into the Bible or to
start reading for the first time, but because it’s a paraphrase and not a
direct translation I wouldn’t use it without owning a fairly literal Bible
translation to check it against (many of Peterson’s interpretations are unique
to him). Finally there’s the NET (New English Translation), which is one of be
best modern translations I’ve come across. However, it’s quite new and not that
common, so if you’re reading the Bible with others you’ll probably be the only
one who has it. But as I said before one of the main things is to pick a Bible
that will encourage you to read it, so if any of these gets you reading, use
it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What About
the King James?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
King James Version (KJV) was the most popular Bible in English for almost four
centuries, but unless you’re reading it for its poetic language (which is quite
beautiful and unmatched in most modern translations) I wouldn’t use it as your
personal Bible. There are two main reasons for this. First, English language
has changed so much that the KJV is now very difficult for most people to
understand (even with the many updates since it was first published there are
still over 300 words in today’s KJV that don’t mean the same thing they did in
1611). The second is that while the KJV was translated from the best ancient
Greek and Hebrew manuscripts available at the time, in the past 400 years a
number of older and more accurate manuscripts have become widely available to
Biblical scholars. Basically this means that most modern English Bibles
(especially the more literal translations) are closer to the original Biblical
writings than the KJV.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2582112457785076922#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a>
If you love the language for personal reading certainly keep a copy and read
it, but I would recommend that you also own a modern literal translation like
the NRSV or ESV.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Reading the
Bible in Community</span></b></div>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As much as I’ve talked about the importance of
choosing a good Bible translation, there’s another way to be sure that you’re
reading the Bible regularly and getting a good interpretation of its meaning,
and that’s to get together with other Christians and read it together. When
we’re off on our own it’s easy to get off track and forget to use our Bible.
It’s also easy to misinterpret things when we don’t have anyone else to share
our perspective with. So what’s even more important that choosing a Bible
translation is choosing a church. More than anything else being part of a
Christian community will ensure that the Bible becomes much more than just
words on a page.</span>
<br />
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2582112457785076922#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-CA"> For this reason I’d also recommend against the New King James
Version (NKJV), which is just a translation of the KJV into modern English.
Basically you lose the beauty of the King James but get to keep all of the
manuscript issues.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-33933821484307542212013-07-13T21:53:00.000-04:002013-07-13T22:38:43.409-04:00Enough talk, let's singOn the first Sunday of the month, the usual time that our church celebrates Communion, I preached a pretty dense teaching sermon on the meaning of the Lord's Supper. This is something I feel quite passionate about as Communion is of tremendous importance to me personally and theologically. At the same time I don't want to make it too complicated or burden people with too much talk.<br />
<br />
The whole point of the Lord's Supper is that its a symbol and a sign, something that communicates much more than words ever can - it shouldn't be burdened with too many words. Yet it's important for people to have a sense of what the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition has taught. I firmly believe our tradition is deep and rich, and the deeper understanding I picked up from my theological education has helped me appreciate the Lord's Supper on a much deeper level. But how to do it without so many words?<br />
<br />
Well, as usual there was a hymn before the sermon: "You satisfy the hungry heart." When we were done singing I told the congregation that if they didn't connect with the sermon, they could remember the words of the hymn and it would teach them much the same thing. This is part of the reason why I'm so careful with my hymn selections - as it's been said by many others, what we sing, we come to believe. Hymns are important teaching tools, and for that reason I try to pick hymns that have good content - and trust me there are plenty of well loved hymns and praise songs that have a lot of dodgy content.<br />
<br />
So when I picked this newer hymn (and by newer I mean written in the 1970s) to introduce to the congregation a few months ago, I made the decision on more than just the fact that it has a pretty tune (which it does). In a few words it captures so much of the meaning of the Lord's Supper and does so in way that fits quite well with Reformed theology (which is highly ironic since it was written by a Roman Catholic).<br />
<br />
Anyhow too many words about using too many words. Here's the lyrics and a YouTube clip of the tune.<br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b>You
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tSAkUtr978Y?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-23089993498277615242013-07-11T15:35:00.000-04:002013-07-11T15:35:16.026-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 6 - Practical Spirituality cont'dThis post brings us up to the Bible Study held on April 18 and the second part of Paul's discussion of practical spirituality in 1 Corinthians 5 & 6. Chapter 6 continues the discussion Paul began in the previous chapter. This balances out Paul's discussion of how to be truly spiritual in our everyday lives. While the main issue dealt with in chapter 5 had to do with sexuality, the specific issue Paul deals with in chapter 6 is law suits between members of the Corinthian church. This serves as a good reminder that Christian ethics and morality deals with a lot more than just sex (in spite of the impression you sometimes get from a number of Christian leaders).<br />
<br />
As you read through the chapter consider the following questions:<br />
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<![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why
do you think Paul is so upset by the lawsuits between Christians? How should this
teaching affect how Christians make use of secular courts today? What are the
potential costs of doing this?</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What
do you make of Paul's statement that it’s better to be wronged than to do wrong?
Compare Paul’s
teaching with what Jesus says in Matthew 5:38-48 and Luke 6:27-36.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What might this have to say to the way we do things today? </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">How
might this apply to other public institutions whose conduct doesn’t live up to Jesus’
teachings? Should Christians stay out of such places and develop their own
alternative institutions or should they seek to transform the way they do
things?</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why
do you think Paul is so concerned by what Christians do with their bodies and
everyday lives (including mundane things like lawsuits)? Do our bodies matter,
or is it only the soul that’s important?</span>
</li>
</ul>
Even as I ask the last question, I'm going to give you my answer. Paul's teaching and really the teaching of the whole Bible tell us that what we do with our bodies and do in our everyday lives does have spiritual significance. Christianity (like the faith of ancient Israel and contemporary Judaism) has a very earthy spirituality. God created the heavens <i>and</i> the earth and so what we do on earth, and do with our bodies matters. Body and soul form a single united person and cannot be separated. I would suggest that our spirituality shapes how we live, and how we live reveals what our spirituality actually is. What do you think?<br />
<br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-73441946827131772682013-07-05T14:08:00.000-04:002013-07-05T14:24:39.338-04:00Still playing catch up...<br />
Just a brief note to give an update... well, on the lack of updates.<br />
<br />
May proved to be quite a busy month leading up to Norval's 175th Anniversary service on June 3. The Service was wonderful, both in terms of the huge numbers of family and friends (including many former members coming from a distance) who came out to celebrate with our congregation, and the power of the service itself. Special thanks to Ian MacPherson, the minister of Norval and Union Churches from 1976 to 1983 who preached a dynamic, insightful and prophetic sermon (something I deeply appreciated as I rarely get to receive a message), David McIntyre who piped us in and out of the service, and Phil Brennan who contributed two moving solos.<br />
<br />
After this I was off on study leave and vacation for a couple of weeks. During that time my sister-in-law gave birth to her second child a baby girl who was the subject of a lot of prayers by a lot of people. After a difficult and deeply stressful pregnancy she's healthy and thriving. Truly, thanks be to God.<br />
<br />
Then Elaine and I both got strep throat to round out my time off. Apparently we needed some total rest - though we certainly would have preferred to have it another way. At least Nathan avoided getting sick with it, though the poor guy's got a stomach bug today.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I'm back in the saddle and should be caught up on the Bible Study posts from 1 Corinthians soon, and hopefully contributing other reflections throughout the summer.<br />
<br />
Grace and PeaceRev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-58924984668641472152013-05-22T11:32:00.001-04:002013-05-22T11:32:23.806-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 5 - Practical SpiritualityWell once again I have gotten quite far behind in my Bible study postings, so over the next week or so I'll be trying to get the blog up to date with where the Bible study group is at the church.<br />
<br />
The last post finished up the opening section of 1 Corinthians (1:10-4:21) and with this post we start a new section which covers all of chapters 5 & 6. I've called this section 'Practical Sprituality' because in it we see how some of the spiritual issues mentioned in the last section of the letter are having some very practical consequences. For Paul and for the Bible as a whole, spirituality is always deeply practical and has real consequences for how we live.<br />
<br />
In this post we'll just look at chapter 5. Our group at the church had quite a lengthy discussion of what Paul says here and in chapter 6. Indeed there is a lot to discuss and reflect on in just a few verses.<br />
<ul>
<li>Read 1 Cor 5:1-8. Why do you think Paul is so upset with the Corinthian church with how they've dealt with this man who is living with his 'father's wife' (this probably means the man's step-mother)?</li>
<li>What do you think Paul mans when he says "hand this man over to [the] Satan... so that his spirit may be saved..." (vs. 5)?</li>
<li>What do you think Paul is getting at with the Passover metaphor he uses verses 6-8?</li>
<li>Read 1 Cor 5:9-13. What do you think of Paul's statement that Christians should be more concerned with the behaviour of other Christians rather than with the behaviour of non-Christians?</li>
<li>What is your reaction to the <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">teaching that
Christians actively engaged in serious sins should be expelled from the
community? What does Paul see as the ultimate purpose of expulsion and
community discipline?</span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></li>
</ul>
Now that I've asked some questions, I'll give you a little more information that I hope will be useful in your reflections on this challenging passage.<br />
<ul>
<li>One of the underlying issues Paul is dealing with here is spiritual arrogance on the part of many in the Corinthian church. Right here in the passage Paul accuses people within the church of being 'arrogant' (or 'puffed up') and 'boasting'. At the time many spiritual movements taught that spiritual enlightenment freed people to whatever they wanted in their ordinary lives - including the kind of behaviour Paul condemns here.</li>
<li>A few words about Passover. First, every Jewish house in preparation for Passover remove every trace of yeast (or leaven) from their house and aet only unleavened bread during the festival. This was to commemorate the fact that the Israelites left Egypt in such a rush that their bread had no time to rise. As a result yeast is almost always a negative metaphor in Jewish thought. Second it's important to remember that Passover is a festival of freedom and liberation. However, freedom from slavery in Egypt was followed by the call to live a new way of life as God's special people - it wasn't license to do whatever the Israelites felt like doing. One issue in Corinth is that Paul and some in the church have very different understandings of freedom.</li>
<li>"Hand this man over to the satan" (5:5) Thought I did ask what you think this means I will go ahead and tell you since it's a bit confusing. The satan (in Hebrew this is a title that means 'the accuser') is the personal embodiment of the evil of the world that opposes God's reign. While Paul argues that this evil power has been defeated by Jesus' death and resurrection, the satan still exerts a dangerous influence on the world outside of the protection of the Christian community. So what Paul means here is that the man should have been cast out of the community (which is what Paul says outright in 5:13).</li>
<li>However, it's important to remember the second half of the verse, 'so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.' While Paul lists several reasons for casting an unrepentant sinner out of the community, one of them seems to be the hope that this will result in their ultimate benefit (presumably by their eventual repentance and return to the community). This stands in contrast to a religious community like the one we see in the Dead Sea Scrolls, where sinners are simply cast out to be destroyed by the satan.</li>
</ul>
This last point was what led to the most discussion in our group. Indeed the question of how Christian communities can practice loving discipline is a difficult one. If churches have no way of encouraging an agreed upon standard of Christian living then it becomes difficult to challenge and correct destructive behaviours. But at the other end of the spectrum there is the danger of being judgemental, unloving and controlling - and in today's environment people are more likely to leave than endure church discipline. Yet these were the very issues Paul and his churches faced as well. It all comes down to the question: How do we form and become disciples of Jesus Christ who will choose to live differently from the world around us?<br /><br />Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-34828522116492767912013-04-10T15:29:00.004-04:002013-04-10T15:29:57.399-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 4 - Authority and Imitating JesusCatch up time. Between coming down with a bad cold and the busyness of the week leading up to Easter I've gotten a bit behind, but I should hopefully be caught up by the end of this week.<br />
<br />
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With this post we wrap up Paul's opening discussion of conflict over leaders that's dividing the Corinthian church. With 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 Paul takes on the issue that's been in the background all along: there are a number of people in the church who are strongly criticising his leadership and teaching. Paul has failed to persuade or impress them and more than that, they think they've got it all figured out on their own. Yet here Paul turns the tables and suggests that being a genuine Christian leader has nothing to do with being impressive or powerful - in fact if we're really following Jesus it can be the opposite!<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1 Cor.
4:1-5. We should be careful in how we apply Paul’s teaching here as it’s easy
for Christian leaders to abuse it. At the same time it does raise some
important questions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When is it
appropriate to judge or evaluate those in leadership and when is it best to
leave it up to God? How do we determine if a leader has genuine authority from
God?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1 Cor.
4:6-13. What do you make of Paul’s contrast between the Corinthians’ proud
self-image and the humble picture he draws of true Christian apostles? How does
Paul’s description of what to expect from genuine Christian leaders compare
with Christian leaders you know (or know of)?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The image of
Christian life Paul offers raises questions for all Christians, not just
leaders. Which of these two models would you prefer to be: rich and powerful or poor and weak? What challenge does
this make to our comfortable Christian lives today and our understanding of
success?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1 Cor.
4:14-21. Paul tells the Corinthians to “be imitators of me.” Is this arrogance
and self-praise on Paul’s part or does he mean something else?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Hint: think of what Paul says in verses
6-13)</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Finally, what
do make of verse 20 “For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power.”?
What kind of power is Paul talking about?</span></li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-61285665201818812362013-03-27T14:44:00.000-04:002013-03-27T14:44:56.895-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 3 - Leadership and being 'Spiritual'This week we continue through Paul's opening discussion of the conflicts in the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:23 Paul continues his discussion of God's foolish wisdom, what it means to be spiritual, and the role of leaders in the Christian community. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1 Cor.
2:6-3:4. How does being a spiritual person relate to how we behave? Should our
spirituality be evident in how you live? How do you spot a spiritual person?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">How would you
react to Paul’s sharp criticism that your church is unspiritual? Do you think
that your church spiritual in the sense that Paul is talking about? Are you?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1 Cor.
3:5-17. What is the role and purpose of Christian leaders? Do we make too much
of individual leaders instead of keeping our focus on God and Jesus?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What do you
make of Paul’s idea that Christians taken together form God’s Temple? As you
reflect read Ephesians 2:19-21.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1 Cor.
3:18-23. What do you think Paul means when he says “become fools so that you
may become wise”? What do you think Paul means here by wisdom and foolishness?</span></li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2582112457785076922.post-43558251119244369622013-03-13T16:23:00.000-04:002013-03-13T16:23:32.610-04:00Bible Study - 1 Corinthians Part 2 - Divisions and God's Foolish Wisdom<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When I started off our Bible study group last week I
decided to read from N. T. Wright’s translation of 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, a
translation that really struck me the first time I read it.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1 </span></sup></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Paul, called by God’s will to be an apostle of King
Jesus, and Sosthenes our brother; <sup>2 </sup>to God’s assembly at
Corinth, made holy in King Jesus, called to be holy, with everyone who calls on
the name of our Lord, King Jesus, in every place—their Lord, indeed, as well as ours! <sup>3 </sup>Grace to you and peace from God our father and King
Jesus the Lord.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4 </span></sup></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I always thank my God for you, for the grace of God
that was given to you in King Jesus. <sup>5 </sup>You were enriched in him
in everything, in every kind of speech and knowledge, <sup>6 </sup>just as
the messianic message was established among you, <sup>7 </sup>so that you
aren’t missing out on any spiritual gift as you wait eagerly for our Lord, King
Jesus, to be revealed. <sup>8 </sup>He will establish you right through to
the end, so that you are blameless on the day of our Lord, King Jesus. <sup>9 </sup>God
is faithful! And it is through God that you have been called into the
fellowship of his son, King Jesus, our Lord. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(N. T. Wright,
</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Paul
for Everyone: 1 Corinthians, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,
2004)</span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Wright
translates the Greek word ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christos’</i>
as King instead of just turning it into the English word Christ as we normally
do. The effect for me was powerful and I still get chills when I read it. The
original Greek and Roman hearers of 1 Corinthians would have heard it more or
less in this way, since the Jewish idea of the Messiah meant nothing to them,
but the world of anointed (which is what Christos means) kings and rulers was
very familiar. To hear Jesus called King eight times in just nine verses hits
home the radical message of Paul’s Gospel. Jesus is the world’s true king and
not any human power (from the Roman Emperors down through the powers and
principalities of today).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It’s worth
keeping this central part of Paul’s message in mind as we come to this next
part of the letter. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-4:21 Paul starts to deal with the
conflicts in the Corinthian church and the core issue that stands behind all of
the squabbling – God’s strange wisdom verses the wisdom of this world. This
week we get into the first part of Paul’s argument.</span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1
Corinthians 1:10-17. Paul talks about divisions and conflict in the church at
Corinth. Have you experienced conflict in the church? How does it make you feel
to hear about this in the New Testament?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1
Corinthians 1:18-25. Is the Gospel (or Good News) of Jesus the crucified King
foolish? What do you think is the biggest obstacle keeping people from
accepting the Gospel today?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1
Corinthians 1:26-31. Are you often impressed by those who speak well, are well
educated, wealthy, wise and powerful? Is this something you would like to be?
Is it something we should strive for or does God call on us to have a different
set of values?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Read 1
Corinthians 2:1-5. What do you think Paul means when he says that he delivered
his message “with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power”? How do you think
this differs from the more common experience of hearing someone who is a
persuasive or powerful speaker? Have you experienced God’s Spirit and power in
your life? What was that like? </span></li>
</ul>
Rev. John Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706574167293850029noreply@blogger.com0